NASA and Boeing executives knew their Starliner rocket had leaked before launch, but believed it was too small to pose a threat — as two astronauts now remain stranded on the International Space Station because of the problem, new reports say.
Officials detected a helium leak on the troubled Starliner before its June 5 launch, but NASA and Boeing executives said the rocket was fine because the problem was reportedly too minor to pose a safety threat to the spacecraft, CBS News reported. The launch date of the rocket has already been postponed due to another leak.
Then, once in orbit, four more helium leaks occurred, with one nozzle officially deemed unusable.
The return trip for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams has now been delayed until at least July 2.
Boeing has borne the brunt of the criticism for the Starliner’s current plight.
The company is already under fire after serious failures of its planes over the past year, with at least 20 whistleblowers raising concerns about safety and quality at the aviation giant.
Wilmore and Williams were scheduled to return home June 13 after a week on the ISS, but their return date remains up in the air as engineers continue to analyze and test for helium leaks and nozzle failures on the Starliner, NASA said.
“We’re taking our time and following a standard mission management team,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager.
“We let the data guide our decision-making in relation to managing the small helium system leaks and thruster performance that we observed during rendezvous and docking,” he added.
Stich maintained that despite the problems, NASA still has confidence in the Starliner, saying the spacecraft “does well in orbit while attached to the space station.”
NASA officials dismissed the notion that Wilmore and Williams would be stuck on the ISS, saying the pair were still authorized to detach at any time and fly home if a major problem arose.
However, problems and tests conducted by NASA and Boeing cast doubt on whether the Starliner will be able to make its six-hour round trip.
Boeing has spent about $1.5 billion in cost overruns beyond the original $4.5 billion contract it made with NASA, which hopes to make the Starliner a second mode of transportation to the ISS alongside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
Repeated leak problems with Starliners could threaten that future and further damage Boeing’s already troubled reputation in the aerospace industry.
The company has been dogged by safety concerns since the start of the year when a door panel on an Alaskan Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 jet blew off after four key screws appeared to be missing.
Jennifer Homendy, the chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, later highlighted ongoing problems with Boeing’s production line, with several whistleblowers coming forward to say they felt pressured to remain silent when they spotted faults on the line.
Boeing did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.